Paris 2008 preview: pricey Lumeneo Smera to be released early 2009
Lumeneo's titling electric car, the Smera, will be released early 2009 according to CNET TV. The official announcement will be made at the Paris Motor Show in October but CNET says Lumeneo will be "taking deliveries early 09." The CNET video also has a close up look at the Smera's electric motors and CNET TV's host, who is six feet two inches tall, gets in the car even though the fit is a little snug. The Smera has a top speed of 130 Km per hour, range of 150 Km on a single charge (which takes 3-5 hours) and will cost between 20-30,000 Euros ($31,000-$47,000US, at today's rate). Ouch.
Gallery: Geneva 2008: Lumeneo Smera
[Source: CNET TV]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
infix 1:07PM (3/13/2008)
Ridiculous pricing.
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Whopper 2:05PM (3/13/2008)
This is a joke, right?
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Bancho 2:03PM (3/13/2008)
Neat vehicle and cleverly packaged but I must agree that the pricing will relegate it to an interesting curiosity.
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GoodCheer 2:25PM (3/13/2008)
It's a little sad that Commuter Cars has been trying to get funding to build something similar for years and years, but these guys seems to have gotten all their ducks in a row an (apparently) a matter of months. I wonder if that's a function of the relative ease of getting funding for new small companies in the two unions.
I would guess that that pricing would work just find in Europe, where vehicles tend to be much more expensive. Maybe some of the European regulars would like to comment?
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Dave 2:55PM (3/13/2008)
I'll take my Tesla, Volt, MiEV, whatever...this is overpriced.
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zaedrus 2:58PM (3/13/2008)
This is the kind of commuter that really gets me going. I'd love to have one. It's wonderful.
As a plebian, it's unrealistic to hope for.
I always muse how these concepts could revolutionize life. But revolution only comes when a concept is accessible to the masses.
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Mike Weston 4:22PM (3/13/2008)
I was interested until the price. Even in the low $20K's it might have a chance, but at $31K minimum? Unlikely.
Does it hold one person or two (front/back)? If only one, then lower that even a bit more.
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rgseidl 5:05PM (3/13/2008)
It's expensive because the company is a startup that cannot yet produce this technically sophisticated product (leaning chassis) in high volume.
What surprises me is that they intend to ship this in Europe so soon. With four wheels, a curb weight of 270kg w/o batteries of 270kg, 30kW rated power and a top speed of 130kph, this vehicle is classified as a regular car rather than a quadricycle.
The new EU directive 2007/46/EC is a first step toward closing the "small series type approval" loophole in the earlier 70/156/EEC that allows manufacturers to sell up to 500 units per member state per year if they pass national - as opposed to the stricter EU - crash safety tests. That may be good enough for Lumeneo for now, especially since the primary market for the Smera will be London. Still, the words "death trap" come to mind.
http://www.vca.gov.uk/additional/files/vehicle-type-approval/vehicle-type-approval/vca002.pdf
A second safety issue is sensitivity to lateral gusts, which could push this lightweight vehicle out of its lane or even cause it to topple sideways. At 130kph on a freeway, that would be fairly catastrophic.
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MarkR 7:25PM (3/13/2008)
I wouldn't drive one if you paid me $50,000. I still think the thing will tip over as your driving straight and have a strong cross wind, I definitely wouldn't want one if I lived in the windy plane states or a coastal city. and even if I thought it was safe. I wouln't pay more than a supped up atv or motorcycle. $15,000 tops. my money's on, it won't survive if its priced over $15k.
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 7:53PM (3/13/2008)
I don't think this is expensive at all. The cheapest cars in Europe (I mean for anything cheap and nice) come in at around 15keuros. So then 20-30 keuros isn't bad at all. Then you have to consider the current petrol prices in Europe, which imply that the car will pay for itself in no time at all. Then depending on what advantages your city offers you in terms of free parking or uncontested entry into the town centre......
Consider that at this price range (specifically 20-26keuros) you also find the Mini which is neither a hybrid-electric nor a pure electric such as the Smera......
shucks, I'm already setting up my piggy-bank on the counter.......As for "I wouldn't drive one even if you paid me..."... well this, in my case, certainly applies to the monstrous SUVs or high-polluters around, but certainly not this vehicle. If the rental companies got their hands on the first production models I'd certainly rent one just to try it out for a while......
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MarkR 8:49PM (3/13/2008)
Here is a link to a video of why I wouldn't drive one. If the wind can do this to a jet imagine being in this little car when the cross wind hits you. say goodbye to your $30k leaning car and say hello to your coffin.
http://tinyurl.com/2aoumv
seriously it needs a lower center of gravity.
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Chris M 10:16PM (3/14/2008)
Like the CommutaCar "Tango", the Smera places the heavy battery pack near the bottom, under the passenger compartment. That makes these narrow vehicles suprisingly stable, and the "tilt" adds to that stability while cornering.
Come to think of it, these cars should be more stable than a motorcycle, and how often do you hear of a motorcycle being blown over while driving? Not often.
Yes, the price is high, but it is less than the Tango, and it is a limited production by a small company. If they can keep the business going long enoug, they may be able to find ways to reduce prices and gain more market share in the future.
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pug306 10:18PM (3/15/2008)
Well considering he got the top speed wrong by 20 mph, maybe he buggered up the pricing as well?
/hope
//hope
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xxxeni 9:05PM (10/31/2009)
Same joke as immovable property prices in Europe...
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xxxeni 9:11PM (10/31/2009)
Why people do EVERYTHING to avoid moving their butts on their own feet? Why BILLIONS of Euro/Dollars/Yen are spent for lazy to remain lazy while those money could be spent developing advanced public transport systems around the world and for BANNING private cars that run on gasoline and saving the oil reserves for the worst scenario and for the deliveries of goods and heating only. Why can't we walk, drive bicycles, finally drive electric cars and get THERE by foot, bicycle and electric car NOW? I'm for BANNING all gasoline-powered cars by certain date.
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